Bond of Brothers
by Primordial Soul
Summary: Bonds develop quietly, slowly enough that it is impossible to discern their progress. But, in one act of grandeur, bonds can reveal themselves. Bonds that would remain for the rest of their lives. T for language.


**AN: **Hey, it's Primordial Soul!

I've been inactive for a month and I deeply regret the absence I've taken from . I'm literally moving out to college in two days so I've been very busy packing and spending as much time as I could with friends that I may never see again.

This piece does not describe any event in the Halo Universe. This is in fact is a real event that happened to me the thirteenth of August, 2013. I've modified it to make it fictional, but a good friend of mine and I had a conversation almost identical to this one. Day Zero, as we've come to call it, was a very emotional moment for the both of us, one that helped us connect even more.

I hope you enjoy this piece. I teared up when I read it after I finished it. The person I dedicated it to cried at the end. So many feels...

* * *

**BOND OF BROTHERS**

Written By: Primordial Soul/SUR Samus

Dedicated to: SUR Deadly/Hades_Mistfang

* * *

Day Zero. A day that would live in infamy.

I stood in the midst of desolation, silently observing the ruins of our former nation. Broken steel littered the ground and blood pooled underneath the bodies that fell in the last few hours. The sun was dimmed by the ashes of war, darkening the sky in some attempt of silent reproach.

My armored feet trudged through the debris, searching for the man who was born in battle, who proved time and time again his dedication and perseverance to make us great. The man who made our nation and fought for independence. My superior officer and friend.

As I casually push a broken column out of my way, I emerge into a vast amphitheater, almost untouched by the ravages of the war around us. We used to hold meetings here, used to tell our constituents what was expected and what had happened in the outside world. No more, I think bitterly.

And resting in the middle of the stadium rested the very man I was looking for. His helmet was off, revealing his battered, tired face. He looked so broken, so defeated, so unlike the man I knew. I silently walked up to him and stood five feet from him, giving him his privacy.

"Hey," Hades said softly, turning his armored body to face my own. I quirk an eyebrow, hidden underneath my own helmet.

"Hey yourself," I reply softly, sitting down next to our nation's leader.

We both stayed silent for the next few minutes, the both of us thinking of what was going to happen in the coming hour. Silence normally comforted me, as I was a metaphorical ghost in the Alliance, but this silence was overwhelming. It weighed down on your spirit, crushing you under its weight. It promised pain and suffering, but above all else it was foreboding. It was relentless and it would not be denied.

"How did everything come to this?" Hades said again, looking so defeated that I was shocked. Where was the passionate leader I had come to know? Where was the friend I had gained, the one I worked with to make the Alliance great?

"Why did he have to do this!" Hades growled, slamming a fist down onto a rock next to him, disintegrating it underneath his rage.

"Snake was a traitor and a liar, Hades." I reply, looking over my shoulder. "He's never gotten over his exile."

"We caught him spying on us! Dead to rights!" Hades protested. "He deserved to be kicked out!"

That he did. Snake betrayed all of us and he blames his actions on us. Pitiful.

"We did what was right" I replied. "He just held a grudge for all those years. He just couldn't let it go"

"Sending assassins after me? Lying to our faces about his background? That's more than a grudge. Snake's a fucking liar, Soul." Hades suddenly slumped, his mind replaying what had just happened to the Alliance.

"Why is this happening to us? I just confronted Snake about him sending assassins after me. He shot at me first and we crushed his men! But this?" Hades whispered.

"I don't know" I answered frankly, rubbing my shoulder as my own anger and helplessness flowed through me. Not only had Snake betrayed us, he stole vital base blueprints that myself and Hades built ourselves. We spent days and weeks on those plans, and to see them defiled like that makes my blood boil and my spirit scream for retribution.

But that was never going to happen. At least not yet.

"Why does everyone want to bring us down? Why is everyone siding with him?" Hades asked rhetorically. We both knew the answer.

Snake was a fucking liar. And the other nations bought it hook, line and sinker.

Hades sighed as he stood up, gesturing to a broken doorway. "Might as well get it done already."

I grabbed his arm as he moved to leave. "I'm not letting you go alone. They could do anything to you once you go in there. Even break the agreement and kill you. I'm going with you."

Hades' eyes flashed with some unknown emotion. Gratitude, respect, comfort? I could not tell. He then did something I never expected Hades to do.

He cried. He cried like the world had come to an end, like everything he came to love was dead and would never come back.

In all honestly, that was almost the truth.

"I didn't do anything wrong. I only did what I thought was right. And now I'm being attacked. Forced to step down from my own creation" Hades choked out, too overcome by emotion to say anything else.

And he was right. He didn't do anything wrong. He did what was best for his nation. And now he was being crucified for it.

"Hades." I said softly, moving his head to lock our eyes together. I removed my helmet, letting my pale skin finally feel the sun after so long of being incased in metal. "The Alliance is more than a nation, a passing thought, a group. It's above all else a family. Family supports each other."

My blue eyes hardened. "I'd follow you into the gates of Hell."

That statement did something to Hades. He straightened up, shocked at first before his mouth twitched into a smile, before his eyes shined with happiness. My words confirmed the bond we developed since the day we met. I would never turn my back on my brother.

"The Alliance is in your hands now, Soul. Good luck." Hades replied, casually giving me complete control over his greatest creation. That was the trust we now had in each other.

We had known each other for a while now, ever since I was a mere private in the Alliance military. I had proven myself adept at base construction as well as combat ability and loyalty and rapidly rose through the ranks, becoming Hades' personal guard in record time. In that same amount of time after my promotion, I became Vice-President of the Alliance after the old one left to pursue other ventures.

And now? I was the President of the Alliance. And I would keep it alive for my brother's sake.

"I'll keep the seat warm for you, Hades. The Alliance will be waiting for you when you return." I say, clasping him on the back. We shared a moment of brotherly camaraderie before Hades moved my arm off his shoulder.

"Thank you, Soul. Let's go face the masses" Hades said softly as we began to walk through the gates of Hell to face our crucification for imagined sins.

I cocked my head and smile. "Let's show them that you're the dick and I'm the balls. You thrust, I slap."

I'd never forget that laugh.

We passed through the archway, walking into the darkness to face the Horde. And inscribed above us were four simple words.

_Sic itur ad astra_

_Thus one goes to the stars_

_The End_


End file.
